Genre: Real Time Strategy/Turn-based Strategy (parts of the game use both y'see)

Platform: PC

Good:- mightily impressive graphics during the battles-fantastic battle control system (mostly)-huge single player campaign, is almost literally endless-outstanding multiplayer fun to be had

Bad:-an improvement on Medieval: Total War, but hardly a revolution-battles can get a little hectic and dissolve into a frenzy of clicking-slightly odd limitations in terms of what you can do during the game-battles take forever to end sometimes, when a persistent enemy unit keeps on running away at the exact same speed as your units-not the best end-game reward I've ever seenOverview:Best in the series. No doubt about it. Certainly not perfect, but top notch fun that you will repeatedly come back to.Overall: 9/10

Good:-Adictive gameplay-Many, many unlockables-Solid graphics-Intuitive control-Best puzzle game since tetris

Bad:-This game will be moving to fast for you after ten minutes into the game, making stock matches over ten unenjoyable against the computer

Overview: I did a much longer overview before the server roll back and I've come to the conclusion the game can't be explained. Basically it's a falling block game, but it uses a unique way of clearing the blocks and touch screen controls.

Overview: There hasn't been a FPS like this since the genres founding fathers Doom & Quake were created. Painkiller is a chip off the old block. Add a dead human (Daniel Garner) in a type of purgatory being infiltrated by the armies of Hell. Give him some of the coolest collection of unbelievable weapons with two weapon modes each, the Painkiller, Shotgun/Freezer, Stakegun/Grenade Launcher, Rocket Launcher/Chaingun, Electrodriver. Add in piles of demons whose imagery represent those who have gone to Hell over the centuries, add a few more creatures that don't exist, then put two hundred of them in a themed level. Add the fact that you get locked in each room until you kill all the demons which appear out of thin air all around you. Pain.

This would be an interesting FPS if the game stopped there. But it doesn't. Each Painkiller level has gold coins in explosive barrels, boxes, chests, coffins. As well as secret places, and finally souls. See each demon you killl leaves a green floating soul where he died which last for a few seconds, simply stepping into the soul will allow you to gain some health back. When you have collected 66 souls in consession you yourself turn into a demon. In demon mode you are completely invulnerable, and can kill instantly just by pointing and clicking. Add in the fact that the world goes shades of white and the demons glow like fire, gaining that 66 soul at the right moment could mean you could massacre the 15 odd demons running at you in a few flashes. Of course demon mode only last for 30 seconds, but that is a long time in Painkiller.

And now we finally come to the biggest bonus of Painkiller. The Tarot Cards. Each level has an unlock tarot card critera, ranging from completing the level, too killing 30 demons in one go in demon mode (one of the hardest things to do in the level that required it). Once you have unlocked the either silver (peramnently active) or gold (use once per level) tarot card, between levels you can equip 2 silver and 3 gold, at a cost of gold. The same gold you collected in the main game. Every card adds some new ability, either from having more base health (silver), sucking souls towards you (gold), or tripling the speed at which you fire (gold).

Finally Painkiller is all wrapped up in a nice little story featuring some beautifully crafted CG clips. The story I'll leave you to find out.

Good:- The graphics are brilliant for when this game came out. - General gameplay is fun, and often challenging.- The use of the Havoc2 physics engine was excellent. If you've never seen someone been hit by a stake, fly back and get pinned to the wall, your missing out.- Tarot Cards (see above)- Souls (see above)- The difference in levels (ranging from an Opera House to a an Arab Palace, to an Air Force Base, to a Monastry)breaths fresh air into each level you play.- Brilliant music score, using alot of industrial and metal tracks, played each time you come into a new area with enemies.

Bad:- The difficulty in fufilling some of the Tarot Card criteria. (Walkthroughs are often needed)

Quick overview: The greek god of war, Ares, has laid siege to Athens, the city of Athena. Because of an edict laid down by Zeus, the gods cannot attack each other directly. In a bid to stop Ares, the other gods enlist Kratos, a spartan warrior who once was a devout follower of Ares, but now has a chip on his shoulder for his onetime master.

The game has a smooth play, with a nice mix between hack-and-slash, platforming, and puzzles. It takes the best parts of Devil May Cry, Prince of Persia, and countless platform games, and mix it into a seemless whole. There is little loading to notice, which help imensely. The graphics are also very nice...very nice indeed... The various ways inwhich to terminate foes also helps Zombies f.ex can be grabbed, and then either stabbed(repeatedly), torn on half, or thrown into other enemies. This game takes the most violent parts of greek mythology and some artistic license, and combine it into a game that won't meet it's mtch in a long time indeed.

Good: Lots of options, many surprises("Hey, I didn't notice that one the last time!"), good graphics, and a very smooth play. The wealth of enemies and the variation is also very good.

Bad: Not much, exept that sometimes the IA makes all enemies block your attacks, even as more opposition home in on your position, making it into a very nast war of attrition(which can easily be lost if you donæt watch your six). This is especially the case when you are to make the sacrifice to Poseidon...

Score: 98/100. Unless a hack-and-slash RPG game isn't your thing.

Who is this game for: Anyone who isn't squimish about violence.

Logged

Always remember to pillage BEFORE you burn. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, riddle them with bullets. Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat. No, I'm not feeling violent, I'm feeling creative with weapons. Everyone is entitled to my opinion. I'm not cynical. I'm just experienced. I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally. If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy? If I throw a stick, will you go away?

Good: -extremely faithful to modern day armies -A mix of everything.(flying, ground pounding and driving) -Brilliant gameplay engine, allows for large squad based missions -Engine allows for intricate orders to squads -Built in mission editor

Bad: -Graphics aren't up to much -Multiplayer can be quite slow, even with relatively low ping -mission editing relies heavily on being able to script

Overview: A brilliant mix of strategy/shooter with a well knit storyline.if you enjoy games like BF1942 (to a certain extent) and Medal of Honour: European Assault, then this is the game for you, even if it is almost 4 years old.

Game: Enter The MatrixType of game: fighting/ adventurereview: well this game got not the greatest reviews but here is one that will give it what it deserves. Good points: -great combination of movie and game-fun combat, with a ton of combos-two different playable charters to chose from-a lot of guns -HDTV 1080i-bullet time for cool matrix moves Now the bad points-graphics are not the best but not the worst -all the guns feel the same even the there is like 30 different ones -combat system is a little of the same thing over again-combat system works to fast when your the one hitting and two slow if your the one getting up -AI for some guys is very stupid -focus runs down to fast sometimes- Car missions and hovercraft missions are stupid and have no point Now the weird point-who fights a SWAT helicopter? -why is multy player a hack u have to unlock? -was it really necessary to add 2 playable characters? - How many police guards are at a post office? -And how many SWAT members can fit in a helicopter?

In the end: well all things considered, once u get past some of the rough edges of the game your left with a surprisingly good game, the game was good but for some reason they just couldn’t make it fulfill its potential, there is still potential for a great game, so lets hope the next one(The Matrix: path of neo) is a better one.7 out of 10

« Last Edit: May 5, 2006, 09:26:47 AM by Tanith Ghost »

Logged

“You have to let it all go Neo, fear, doubt and disbelief, free your mind”- Morpheus

Half Life: 2Type FPSReview: Excellent game, quite possibly the best game I have ever played.Good: Great Graphics, Smart AI, Fun vehicles, Gravity Gun, Lots of Mods, Comes with CS:S and HL2 DM.Bad: Puzzles are sometimes difficult. Need a very good computer to run it.99/100Great game overall, I can't wait for the expansion.

Good: Counter-Strike has to be one of the best multiplayer FPS series around. It has real-time recoil and live animation for all the characters as well as good sound engine. Also, it is most likely that it is the most realistic FPS around (aside from the grenades). Good all around gun basis, most guns act like they should in real life (except maybe the awp...)

Bad: The actual bullet time is bad. A bullet doesn't instantly hit it's target on the time you pull the trigger. Unrealistic shooting at times (i.e., while jumping, your bullet will go 1000 ft in some directions at times). The HE Grenades and Smoke Grenades (HE should do more damage regardless of kevlar and you shouldn't see through smokes)

Score: 8/10 All in all, it's a terrific FPS game with low requirements (other then an internet connection if you're going to play online)

Good: Very simple, yet innovative gameplay. Puzzle are fun and make you think. Combat is simple, but fun. Graphics are amazing during both gameplay and cutscenes. And nlockable bonuses.Bad: Over use of the R-trigger and the game is fairly linear. Some puzzles can be rather hard and annoying. In addition, some really hard fights can make you want to give up. Finally, it's relatively short, roughly 7 hours.Score: 9/10, if you like games Action-Adventure/Puzzle games.

Overview: Step once again into the shoes of Soma Cruz. Infiltrate and butcher your way through a huge castle filled with evil minions in order to stop the bad-guy.

Good: Very large castle to explore. Tons of enemies to fight, some very memorable bosses. Also, the soul-system from the previous game has been slightly revamped and works great! The music and sound is very good. Charming graphics.

Bad: Graphics are still pixels, so less than impressive compared to some games on the PSP for instance. Somewhat short for the experienced platform-player.

Score: 8/10. Buy this if you enjoy old-school hack-and-slash platforming. Buy this if you are a fan of Castelvania. Heck, just buy it already!

Platform: PC (But also available on X-Box, though I haven't played it on that)

Genre: FPS

Overview: I was pretty sceptical when I first sat down to play it. Everyone I knew had told me how bad this game was. My first thoughts were that this game is not going to be anywhere good as it's predecessors. However, despite the rather cliché female robotic voice that narrates the prologue, I got into the atmosphere very quickly. The first and most obvious thing that I noticed were the amazing graphics. Where games such as Half-Life 2 aim at realizm, it's pretty obvious that Doom 3 created it's skins and graphics for a sheer 'wow!' effect. Combined with the impressive lighting effects and sounds, combat can be a really exhilerating experience. The story is pretty straightforward with not too many things too many things to distract you from the main flow of things. I really like the fact that this time the game has real depth. Sure, it's fun to blast away at monsters without thinking too much, but I really enjoyed the way things spiralled out of control until you are thrown into the action.Anyway, I'll explain my thoughts on the combat. Firstly, I can't stress enough how great it is to enter a clausterphobic room with flickering ligths and zombies staggering towards you. The skins are so good, and the way the monsters recoil and spit blood every time they are hit really took my breath away when I first played this game. The guns are quite nice, with the pistol looking especially reminiscent to it's predecessor. The gun sounds were great too, and I loved firing the shotgun and hearing it reload. Some fights can be very intense, and the realism really pays off when you see a huge Hell Knight stomping towards you. Doom 3 also has some really nice little touches that make the game just that little bit better. The background sounds of combats in the other rooms really adds a sense of desperation to the already chilling atmosphere, and the occasional graphic of a zombie crawling out of a ventilation system, despite being a very cheap way of instilling fear, is really quite enjoyable. However, I did find it very dissapointing that there was almost no physics at all. It really ruins the realism that the rest of the effects helped to create.

Score: 9/10. There are a couple of things that spoil this game, and because there are so many good things, the mistakes really become very obvious. This is undoubtedly one of my favourite games. An yes, it did scare me

Logged

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.I am haunted by waters." - Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

The Good: - Good graphics and animation- Same great gameplay as the last Advance Wars games- New units- New Terrain- Tons of War Room maps- Touch screen map editor- Challenging Campaign mode- New Combat Mode- Multiplayer- Skills and experience system- New COs- Multiplayer can be played with one DS

The Bad:- Combat mode isn't all it could have been- There are easy War Room maps, and hard ones, there seems to be little in between.- Can get a little boring if you don't have anyone to play against - Some of the new units are of questionable value.- No single card multiplayer, which is important if you use FoW when your friends don't have a copy of the game.

Description:Advance Wars is my favorite game on the Gameboy Advance, so I was pumped for this sequel. If you havn't at least played it... you're a loser. Seriously though, you're missing out. In Advance Wars every turn you can move and produce new units. Your goal is to either rout the enemy completely or capture their HQ. Each faction takes turns moving and attacking, with 4 factions playing in a game possible. The games also feature a stroy driven campaign, multiplayer and a War Room mode, where you complete a battle for a score based on speed, power and technique.

For those vets of the series I'll skip to something more relevant. There are 2 new OS COs, and 1 new one for GE, BM and YC. Also BH has 4 new COs (although 2 are just new versions of old ones). There are also several new units. There are now Stealth planes (fighter bombers), Aircraft Carriers, Black Boats (can transport infantry type and heal 1 hp to nearby units), Black Bombs (A suicide air unit), Pipe Runners (An indirect unit that targets both land and ground and moves on pipes and bases) and the Mega Tank (Unlike other tanks, it doesn't form a squadron) which costs the same as a Battle Ship and can wipe out Tank Squadrons in a single attack.

Overview: A good game, that offers everything good about the last ones with more. There's too much content for me to cover in a concise review. A definate buy if you like strategy games.

Description Burnout 3 (B3) is a racing game, with a twist. A newly created sport, known as Burnout, has been invented. The piont? Fast cars, big crashes, and big rewards. The controls are fairly simple. You got an accelerate(R-trigger), brake (L-trigger) steer with joystick/D-pad, and A/Square boosts. Heres the twist you been wondering about. You can takedown you opponents. Slam then in the back, push them againest the guard rail, or my them drive in an oncoming car, allll ways to takedown you opponent. But remember, they can take you down too. Even when you crash, you can 'steer' the wreckage you onced called a car into other cars. This is called aftertouch.

In the game, you can go on tour and try your hand at different events, from USA to Italy, to India. Events can consist of different game modes. Theres your generic race, trying to takedown your competition to slow them, and keep them from taking you spot. Time attack is you driving the track in 1 lap trying to get under a certain time. Road Rage, my personal favorite, is trying to get as many takedowns as possible. Crash is trying to pile up cars and get big crash cash.

New cars are unlocked by earning different types of points. Cash from crash, points from race and time attack, and take downs from Road Rage. Cars have 3 different colour schemes, normally Red, blue and black.

The music that is played is pretty good, mostly alternative rock. The DJ striker can get annoying, but he has some humorous moments, and hints at how to get signature takedowns.

On the downside, some games get repetative, time attack can be very short and the cars are really generic.

Overview Great, simple racer. Very pick-up and play control. And crashes are very cool!Score8.5/10

Summary - Xenosaga is a german space epic based off of a novel. It is set in the future of mankind where three forms of life exist - Humans, Realians and Gnosis. Humans are still the same looking, same ordinary strength; with the exception of the highly advanced weaponry from the Government Technology company known as Vector. Realians are artificially created human beings, though they are not human. They've been gifted with extraordinary range of emotions and lifelike structures and some advantages. The Gnosis are the alien that threatens to destroy the cosmos as everyone knows it. Untouchable and seemingly invincible to normal bullets. All I can say that won't ruin the game is that there is a Civil War being fought between the U-TIC organization and the rest of humanityPros - Very diverse characters, beautiful imagery and landscapes. The AGWS (pronounced eggs) are animated perfectly. Very mysterious and ever changing storyline

Cons - Majority of people say this game was just too long (I spent 80+ hours and I couldn't get enough =\). Combat engine is extremely boring, could've been better. Storyline could confuse you at any point in the game

Well, I feel I might as well contribute. Many people will hate me for this, but it's just one man's opinion.

Game: Age of Empires III

Genre: RTS

Quick overview: Before I begin, let me say that (collectively) I have easily put 100+ hours into AoE and AoE II (plus expansions ) and AoM (now that's a game with some ideas). Now that that's over, onto the very quick overview.

The game is fun enough. I doubt there are a lot of people who haven't heard about this (overrated) game yet. Personally, when I heard about AoE III and that it was coming out... let's just say I just about seizured in ecstacy. Guns? In Age of Empires!? HELLS YEAH! Ten minutes into the game (half of which I spent trying to figure out what my barracks looked like as my little outpost was being stormed ), I realized it sucked. There was nothing new to it. It wasn't innovative in the least (I hold all strategy games up to Rome - Total War), and just felt identical to the previous games. Yes, it looked good... but if your computer isn't totally new it won't look amazing like in those screenshots.

My reccomendation is to get the demo. If you don't get bored playing the demo all the way through, plus a couple skirmish missions, then yeah the game's worth it to pick up. Otherwise, no... don't even bother.

On a side note, I did not play the multiplayer aspect. It is of my belief that any game which sucks in singleplayer as it does... well... why would I bother trying multiplayer?

Bad: - My machine isn't even that old (year and a half or so) and it can't run it that well- We've done this before... MANY times- Campaign gets boring fast, as... well... I refer you to my previous point- I didn't like the home city thing, felt tacked-on almost- Innovative? Not by a long shot- Everything fell apart with the guns and cannons...- Ships are virtually worthless- Hype? Just a little...

Score: 4/10 - Slightly below average, nothing special and a very mediocre game

Who is this game for: People who love the AoE series (and aren't sick of the same old thing), RTS lovers, people who want to play an RTS but haven't played one yet

Reccomendation: Pick up Rome - Total War instead. Turn based economics, real time strategy, and just so much more fun and innovative.

Overview: This game seems to me like it will be around for a long time. And for a good reason. You can fly jets, go spec ops on the other team and blow up their special equipment with c4, pilot tanks, etc. The maps are huge, and as a result every game you play turns out differently. You can also get promoted by playing on ranked server and can eventually unlock new, more powerful weapons such as the M95 for the sniper, or the G36 for spec ops. Theres at least two unlocks for each class. Unfortunately though, the game is a system hog, has long load times, and has some weird bugs. Don't let this fool you into thinking this a bad game though

Score 9/10

Just a great game

Logged

I'm a space marine gone guard (just my luck, huh?).

98% of the teen population has smoked weed, if you are the 2% that hasn't, put this in your signature

I'll give this a try, I play video games enough its time to give something back.

Game: The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

Creator/Publisher:Bethesda Softworks, 2K Games

Genre:RPG/Action

Overview:A game featuring a customizable character, in-depth plot, non-linear game play and great graphics. Set in the fantasy world of Tamriel, you are a prisoner who freed by an escaping Emperor. Before he is killed in front of you the Emperor tasks you with finding his long lost heir and stop an invasion from Oblivion(Tamriel's version of a hell/alternate dimension). After this you are free to do as you please whether it be stop the invasion or go and kill everyone in the towns.

Good:-Great graphics -the AI in the NPCs creates a "living" world -Hundreds of side quests and great plot -Combat system has also been greatly improved upon from Morrowind -Good physics as well. -For PCs the ability to create and use mods-For 360/PC official plugins give new professional content

Bad:-Can be hard on PCs that arent up to recommended specifications-occasionaly a bug or glitch rears its ugly head-Not as much variation for clothing and armor as in Morrowind -Not many factions to join.-Not many voice actors

Rating:9/10

Audience:A must have for RPG/action lovers, a pure action person could still have fun hacking and slashing. The abilities system is much simpler than other RPGs allowing for an easier grasp of the concepts. A good game for most people.

« Last Edit: May 31, 2006, 10:47:22 PM by Possum »

Logged

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.... especially if the horse is sick.... or carrying a bunch of Greeks...I'm not sure which is worse.

So yeah, I updated the beginning list on your behalf Xiou. If anyone notices a mistake with it, spam my PM box and I'll sort it

Logged

I carry with me an Inquisitorial Seal. It is a small, unassuming object contained in a neat box of Pluvian obsidian. It is a modest thing. Relatively plain, adorned with a single motif and a simple motto. Yet with this little object I can sign the death warrant of an entire world and consign a billion souls to Oblivion.